On Tuesday, the women’s soccer (1-1-2) team obtained its first win of the season in dramatic fashion, beating the Mt. Holyoke Lyons 6-0. The two teams have met every year since 1979, and this was the team’s largest margin of victory in the 32-game series.
“We’re four games in now, and the team’s really starting to come together,” said Laura Kurash ’13. “We just got our first win of the season this week, and after two ties, we’re hoping to get our first NESCAC win against Tufts this upcoming weekend.”
Though Wesleyan held a 10-1 advantage in shots over the opening 45 minutes, Kerry Doyle ’14 had the lone Wesleyan goal, converting a pass from Kaylin Berger ’13 in the 24th minute.
However, a 16-2 shot differential in the second half gave rise to a five-goal Wesleyan barrage in a span of just 20 minutes. Kurash got it started, taking a pass from Emma Compton ’14 just outside the box and dashing in, firing the ball past a diving MHC keeper.
Wesleyan made it 3-0 in the 64th minute when Dasha Battelle ’11 took a pass from Kurash along the right side and sent it home for her second tally of the season.
The Cardinals extended their advantage to 4-0 at 70:37 on Kurash’s second goal of the game, assisted by Anna Crystal ’11 and Barrie Lindsay ’12, moving Kurash into a tie for the team lead in that category with Doyle. Kurash, who was the Cardinals’ leading scorer in 2009 with 15 points (six goals, three assists), currently leads Wesleyan in scoring with eight points (three goals, two assists).
Wesleyan’s final two goals came in a 52-second span, with Kat Ellis-Ferrara ’13 and Lindsay netting their first goals of the season at 76:23 and 77:15, respectively. Ellis-Ferrara scored off a corner kick by Mikaela Curtin ’13, while Lindsay scored unassisted.
Combining for the Wesleyan shutout were Clare Colton ’12, who made one first-half save during her 76 minutes in the net, while Grace Bomann ’14 saw her first action of the year, covering the cage for the final 14 minutes.
Wesleyan will look to keep the momentum going into its next outing, a NESCAC rendezvous at Tufts Sat., Sept. 25.
“It should be a difficult game, but we can definitely take them,” Kurash said.